


Not Quite Dead

by ToxicAngel13



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling, The Walking Dead (TV), The Walking Dead - All Media Types
Genre: Abused!Harry, Creature!Daryl, Creature!Merle, Flirty!Harry, Harry will be with multiple men, Lori!Bashing, M/M, Past Abuse, Pregnant!Lori, Protective!Merle, Sexy Times, Zombies, cute!harry
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2013-10-04
Updated: 2015-02-08
Packaged: 2017-12-28 10:44:20
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Underage
Chapters: 5
Words: 20,612
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/991115
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ToxicAngel13/pseuds/ToxicAngel13
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>The dead are walking and hungry for your flesh. Waking up from a coma Rick Grimes finds a young boy in a coma in the room next to him. Unable to leave him to the mercy of whatever the hell is going on he manages to take him along and keep him alive. This is only the beginning of their adventure as Rick finds his best friend and son and their world changes yet again. Shane knows the mystery boy, and he's not about to let him go.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. No Lies Just Love

**Author's Note:**

> It crawled out from a notebook last night. I have several more chapters waiting, but this one demanded to see the light of day. There will be multiple parings and yes, slash. I think you all have figured out i love to slash by now so it should be no surprise. Enjoy- Read and Review.
> 
> PS. I don't like Lori- as you will see. And the whole thing with Shane? She used him for protection and then when her husband came back from the dead she dumped him like garbage. In a post apocalyptic world i can see how a man would go a little crazy after that. She basically killed him, even if Rick was the one to do it in the end. that is all

              Nothing in his life was permanent. People in particular. You would think that he’d learn not to get attached to anyone with his track record, but he still did. Friends breezed in and out of Shane’s life, and some of their exits were more lasting then others. James William Potter. One of his first friends that had first left because his wife didn’t like him, Shane had stopped visiting on his own because he didn’t want to cause any problems. James’ final exit from his life came a year and three months after he announced the birth of his first child. He’d been murdered along with his wife and little boy. Then there was Rick. The first man he had ever loved truly.

                He’d been content just being Rick’s best friend until the night that they drank just a little too much. He’d kissed Rick and for five minutes they had enjoyed each other, with his drunken friend giving just as much as he was getting. They broke the kiss to breath and then Rick realized what they were doing. After that night they didn’t mention what had happened, and Rick was slowly distancing himself from Shane. Then Rick was shot and Shane felt like his world was ending as he pressed against the wound. Rick’s exit from his life was straight into a coma.

                When the world started its slow slide into hell, complete with people coming back from the dead to eat your face off he tried to save Rick. Only with Rick still in the coma and the military shooting the sick he couldn’t. He said his goodbye to his friend, the last goodbye he thought he’d be able to say to him, and barricaded his room door. He went after Rick’s wife and child, wanting to make sure that they were safe. His world became even more darker when he found them though. And he went along with the flow, needing to keep the last part of Rick alive.

                So when Rick found their group he was surprised. And sickened about the things he had done to keep Lori and Carl with the group. While he knew he’d only done what she demanded of him he couldn’t forgive himself for what he’d done. Guilt gnawed at his stomach before he noticed just what Rick had brought along with him. The guns were passed over in favor of the burden that Merle Dixion carried. The small dark haired teen looked too familiar for his comfort, and Rick shifted as he saw where he was looking. The other man brushed a finger across the teen’s forehead, before looking back at Shane, his eyes sparkling with a knowing look.

                “He was in the room next to me when I woke up. I couldn’t leave him while he was still breathing, it would have been the same as signing his death warrant. There’s no guarantee that he would have woken up on his own, and I had a hard enough time moving about when I did. I grabbed what I could- his bags, medical supplies, his medical records. His chart said he was admitted before I was, severely beaten, malnourished and already comatose. They estimate his age to be around 13.” He spoke gently, as if he was afraid of raising his voice.

                “Because he was already comatose they didn’t have a name for him. I call him Mark.” He added, half hesitantly. Shane’s eyes were glued to the teen’s face though. He was looking at the carbon copy of his dead friend. He knew what the kid’s name was, it was hard not to. James had been so damned proud of having a son after all, and had sent him a birth announcement even if they didn’t see each other anymore. James didn’t have any other family, but he’d been told the baby died with its parents that horrible Halloween night. Or he would have made sure the teen in front of him was safe a long time ago. And it looked like he had needed to be saved.

              “He’s 16 years old, going to turn seventeen in a few weeks in fact if I’m still keeping track of dates correctly. His name, it’s Hadrian James Potter, and I was told he was killed with his momma and daddy 14 or so years ago.”He whispered, his voice breaking as he spoke. He’d failed James by not looking into their deaths, but he couldn’t change that now. He’d been so pissed that  James had needed help, but hadn’t reached out. Rick fixed his gaze to a spot above his head, not looking at him directly as he nodded and looked uneasy.

                  “When I saw him laying in the bed my first thought was of the picture you’d shown me a while back. The one with you and James Potter grinning like loons. It was part of the reason I just couldn’t leave him there.” He confirmed, his voice rough. “I knew you two had been good friends once upon a time and you’d never forgive me for leaving his son to die.” Shane shifted and went to move closer to the teen, but Merle growled at him and he froze. The foul tempered man glared at him, a malicious glint in his remarkably sober eyes.

                 “Don’t take a step closer to the kid Walsh. Your friend here almost got him killed before we saved their asses, and I ain’t chancing any of you fuckers finishing him off before we get him awake and well again. He was fucking abused wherever he’d been before the world went to hell, I can tell you that much. He spat towards him. Shane didn’t resist the urge to glare at the other man. Dixon didn’t have a leg to stand on with dictating what he did. There was no way in hell he was going to leave James’ son in the clutches of a druggie either.

                 “His daddy was my best friend Dixon. There’s no way in hell that I would let anything happen to him now that I know he’s fucking alive.” He shot back, dislike clear in his voice. Dixon just snorted in response, and that was when Lori decided jump into the fray. Shane glared at her when she cleared her throat and she looked shocked.

                 “I think that the women should see to him and his recovery.” She pressed on, not letting his reaction bother her. Shane resisted the urge to smack her across the face. After what she had put him through since the world had ended there was no way in hell he was letting her anywhere near Hadrian. It wasn’t going to happen.

                   “I don’t want you to even touch him Lori Grimes. In fact I want you as far away from James’ son and we can possibly get you. I don’t even want him to know your name.” He growled, his voice dark with anger that he could show now. Rick was here and he could deal with keeping his son here in camp. Lori could rot in hell for all he cared. As an offended look passed over her face Merle grinned widely at him, and looked approving at his reaction.

                 “That might just be the smartest thing you’ve said or done since I met you Wessen. There’s no telling when Mrs. Hot Crotch here will need an itch scratched and decide he’ll the one to do it for her. She’s already bullied your pussy ass into fucking her whenever she wanted for long enough.” He snorted. His crude words didn’t make what he said any less true though, and he saw Rick’s face fall at them. Lori was looking pale at the blunt announcement though, shaking her head like she could deny what the whole camp already knew. Shane sighed. This was one hell of a way to welcome his friend back to life and to their camp. Rick would never forgive him.

                “We should get Rian set up in a tent and with an IV in him so he doesn’t get worse.” He murmured, guilt heavy in his voice. Surprisingly Merle just nodded to his statement, looking a little regretful under the gruff exterior he held up to the world. Shane wouldn’t be surprised if the man hadn’t thought he was doing him a favor by getting that piece of information into the open. As he followed the other man, the redneck turned his head to look at him. Shane refused to shift like a five year old as he studied him, and then Merle started laughing.

              “I figured you were a pillow biter when Mrs. Hot Crotch had to twist your arm to scratch her itch. If you keep standing up to the bitch then we won’t have a problem Walsh. But the first time I see you bend to her whims again I won’t hesitate to make sure your not a danger to this kid. Grimes is a stupid fuck for ignoring what he did, but he needed to know she was whoring around on him before it came out in some other way and got you killed. Hell She fucked Daryl and me both a couple of times. She’s just nasty.” He grunted, before looking away. Shane winced as he spoke, wondering if the other man was going to give him crap over liking men.

               “She’s a horrible fuck anyway. I don’t see how Rick can stand it.” He almost whined before he could stop himself. Lori’s threats had been an unspoken secret in camp, and she lorded the threat of leaving with one of the camps only children over everyone to get her way. He had a feeling that would be changing today though. Merle laughed again at his announcement, and they both stopped in their steps as Merle’s burden moaned after the loud laugh had died down. The moan was dry and raspy, but it was the first sign of life that either of the men had seen.

                When Hadrian didn’t make another sound they quickened their pace to Merle’s tent. As the other man settled Hadrian on a pallet Shane got into the bag that Merle had also been carrying and got an IV kit out. As he set the Saline drip up he got ready to stick the needle into his dead friends’ son’s arm. As the needle went into the kid’s arm he winced when Hadrian whimpered, his thin arm jerking slightly, as if he was trying to move away.

                “Come on Kid. You’ve had a good nap now, so you need to wake up for me.” He whispered, encouraged by the movement. He wanted Hadrian to wake up so he could get to know him, and find out who the hell had done this to him. It didn’t matter that the world had ended and the people responsible were most likely dead. Dixon sighed as he watched him. Shane jumped when his hand landed on his shoulder.

                ‘Don’t worry Walsh, the kid will wake up when he can. And he’s getting ready too. Whoever put him in the hospital with your buddy? They were not nice people. He needed to recover both physically and mentally from the attack that put him in that coma.” The harsh man grunted. Shane tried to ignore him, concentrating on Hadrian. “He’s going to wake up. If he survived this long then he’s a fighter, and fighters don’t stay down long.” Dixon added off handedly. He sounded uncharacteristically comforting in that moment. Shane nodded.

                “James was a fighter too. So was his momma, even though we didn’t see eye to eye. She hated my guts due to her religious background and the fact she saw me kissing another man. In her head because I was attracted to men I wanted to fuck Jamie and she couldn’t have that. She pushed and pushed and I left so I didn’t cause problems. Jamie loved her more than anything, and I wasn’t going to stop that. Jamie had been bi before they married, he caught on quick that she wouldn’t accept it and he buried that part of himself for her.” He murmured, brushing some hair from Hadrian’s forehead. His eyes caught the strange scar and he resisted the urge to glare at it. He didn’t want to know if that had come from the assholes that had almost killed him. He gathered the little magic he had at his disposal and whispered a quick spell to try and help the teen from his slumber. Merle snorted from behind him, sounding disgusted by his story. Shane tried not to stiffen in reaction to that.

                “It sounds like your friend was as much of a damned wimp as you’ve been since hell broke loose. He shouldn’t have let her control his friends, or his true self. Hell, even I don’t get being prejudice against men who like men, but then I’d be a damned hypocrite considering my brother likes both sexes.” He grunted, before turning serious. “I’m assuming you thought the kid was dead too. You mentioned something about it earlier, when you said his parents were murdered. Whoever had the kid didn’t want him to survive to adulthood- that much we can tell from the fact that he looks like a 13 year old and he’s almost grown. He’s always going to be a small one. What the kid needs now is to feel safe, and considering we’re in the middle of a damned zombie apocalypse that’s going to be a hard commodity to come by. Sad thing is the world today might feel safer to him than where he came from. I’m going to go grab the rest of his things. Your buddy was vigilant in making sure he got everything.” He replied, his voice steady. Shane saw the other man in a new light then. He didn’t like letting people in, but for some reason he’d let the comatose boy into his walls, and Shane himself by extension. Shane sighed as Merle left.

                “Look Hadrian, I know you’re probably feeling mighty safe shut in yourself like this, but you have got to wake up for me. If you don’t I’m pretty sure your daddy will haunt me for the rest of my life for letting this happen to you. I don’t even want to imagine what that mischievous bastard will do to me when I die for what’s already happened. I swear to god though, if I had known you were still alive I woulda gotten you from whatever hellhole you were put in as soon as I could have.” He whispered, before gathering a good chunk of his reserves. He wasn’t a powerful wizard by any  means, and he didn’t rely of his magic for anything in this new world, but this had to work. “Enervate.” He whispered again. As the spell hit Hadrian he moaned again and rolled over, away from him. Shane grabbed a water bottle thanking every deity he could think of. And then Brilliant green eyes, his momma’s eyes opened slightly, greeting the world in the low light of the tent. Shane grinned madly at the sight.

                “Hey kiddo. Easy there, you’ve been asleep for a long time. Here, sip it slowly, too much will make you sick.” He murmured gently. Those brilliant green eyes landed on him, then widened dramatically as they darted over his face. Shan didn’t say anything else, he just tipped the water bottle and Hadrian gulped down what trickled into his mouth. One of his hands came up to hold the bottle and tip it more, but Shane didn’t let him. He knew the teen’s throat must be painfully dry, but he didn’t want him to make himself sick by going too fast.

                “I know you. Your picture was in my dad’s things. You were friends with him. How did you find me?” He rasped as Shane took the water away after a couple minutes. Shane smiled at him, relieved that he didn’t have to try to explain how he knew him or why he cared to the teen. That would have been the easy part anyway, considering he still had to tell the teen in front of him that the world had gone to the dogs and the dead were walking around taking pieces of people out with their teeth. Magical or not the kid would think him insane soon.

                “Jamie was my best friend, until your momma came into the picture that is. And I’m not saying she was a bad woman, she was just very spirited and she had her own opinion on how things should work. She didn’t like me much because I didn’t follow how she thought things should go.” He admitted, his voice low. He had made the choice in the end not to keep coming around Jaimie and his new wife. So he couldn’t blame her entirely. Hadrian winced as he spoke and Shane had a feeling that the teen knew just why his momma hadn’t wanted him around.

                “I read about it in my dad’s journal, so you don’t have to protect me from the fact that my mum was homophobic. She didn’t like you because you were queer. She thought if you stayed around that dad would catch it and leave her. Dad regretted not fighting harder to keep you as his friend, for not coming and dragging your stubborn ass over when you stopped coming. If it’s worth anything she wouldn’t have liked me much either. I’m about as straight as a rainbow and I’m proud of it.” He rasped, his voice breaking slightly but holding proof of his strength. Shane winced himself, feeling horrible that the teen in front of him was convinced his mother would have rejected him based on her reaction to a man she thought wanted her husband. James wouldn’t have allowed her to say anything against their child though, and if they had lived he would hope that she would have matured.

                “Your momma would have loved you anyway- you were her child. And if she had thought of keeping up that attitude Jamie wouldn’t have accepted it. Not towards the son he was so proud of.” He tried assuring the beaten boy, before he frowned. There was too many unanswered questions reguarding Hadrian and his condition.

                “I was told that you died with your momma and Daddy though. Where the hell did you get placed, and how in the world did you end up in that hospital?” He asked, his voice a little sharper then he had wanted it to be. He was damned angry at whoever had let this happen though and he wanted answers. Hadrian hid his head.

                “I was put on my mum’s sister’s doorstep after they were killed. My godfather was framed and put into prison to keep him from getting custody and I grew up knowing I wasn’t wanted. My uncle finally had enough after I got rid of Voldemort for those people. He decided to get rid of me but I guess he didn’t manage that eh?” He replied, his voice slightly muffled and cracking. Shane cursed everything that was holy as he tried to get Hadrian’s attention again. Those assholes had pulled a number on him and Merle was right. They hadn’t expected him to survive. He didn’t doubt that his uncles decision to get rid of him after he had defeated a Dark Lord wasn’t an attempt to make him disappear once his usefulness had worn out. He hoped that whoever was responsible was alive and suffering for this. It would be a shame if they had gotten off easily and died early in this mess.

                “Hey now. I want you to know that you will never see any of those fuckers again. And it’s not just because I’d kill them rather than let them touch you. The world’s gone to hell since you started your nap you see. There’s dead up and walking about and they have a taste for human flesh. If this crap hadn’t of happened I would have taken care of the fuckers myself, I promise you that. My friend Rick was in a coma in the room next to yours when this all went down. I didn’t think he was going to make it, but he managed to drag himself outta his sleep and he found you. He made sure to take everything he could along with you before he made it out of there. Anyone who dies doesn’t stay dead, and he learned that quick. Some of our camp found the two fo you and the rest is history.” He spoke softly, not wanting to scare the kid too much. He had a lot to adjust to and not much time to do it in.

                “Oh mother of Merlin. I’m not going to much use for a while.” Hadrian moaned despairingly, as if he felt guilty for that fact. Shane shook his head negatively, turning Hadrian so he could look him in the eyes.

                “None of that now Rian. You’re going to focus on getting your strength up. I’m the one that’s going to be doing the protecting out of the two of us- it’s not your job to. It’s my job to make sure that you are safe and healthy- and I will do my damndest to make sure I succeed.” He scolded. Even though there was a playful glint in his eyes his voice was dead serious. He didn’t know the full story behind James and Lily’s death, or this Voldemort person, but he had a feeling the teen before him had carried the weight of the world too long. “you’re only 16 years old Rian. Your daddy would have my balls if this went any differently, if I didn’t take care of you.” He added more gently. The teen’s eyes focused on him, an odd look present of his face. Disbelief. Confusion.

                “Rian?” He asked softly. Shane’s grin came to him more readily at the small question.

                “When you were born Jamie sent me an announcement. I presume your momma didn’t know he did, but I nicknamed you. I didn’t think I’d ever see you, but you were my best friend’s son.” He explained patiently. The teen smiled then, for the first time since he woke up and it took Shane’s breath away. The perfect mix of Evans and Jamie was breathtaking.. and doing all sorts of wrong things to him. He pushed down the sudden naughty thought.

                “I like that. I used to be called Harry.” He murmured, his voice soft. Shane kept all inappropriate thoughts at bay. He was in charge of the teen before him, and that wasn’t going to happen. Not ever.

                “Good, because it’s sticking Rian. I’ve called you that too long in my head to be changing it now. Now I’m going to go wait for my friend Merle- he’s grabbing the rest of your things. When he comes I have to go do some things, but you’re never going to be alone.  Promise. I need to get you some food, so please keep sipping the water.” He explained, slightly flustered as he handed the water bottle over to the teen. As if called Merle stepped into the tent, dropping several bags on the floor and grinning at the duo. He winked at Rian.

                “So the Kitten’s awake huh? Here’s his bag by the way. I’m Merle Kid, if you have a problem then you tell me and I’ll make it fucking disappear. Savy?” He bulldozed into the conversation. Rian smiled nervously at him, clearly not knowing how to respond to him. Shane resisted a chuckle as he nodded slowly and looked at Merle.

                “Please try not to scare him. I’ve got to go find something he can stomach.” He warned. Merle grinned widely, looking half insane to tell the truth. Shane wouldn’t blame Rian for not looking away when he was gone.

                “I don’t intend t o scare him Walsh. Just telling the kid like it is. Watch out for Mrs. Hot Crotch out there. She’s non to happy that I let her secret out in front of your idiot friend and is on a bit of a rampage. The idiot confiscated all would be weapons when she tried going after me.” He chuckled, sounding amused. Shane resisted a grimance. Life at camp wasn’t going to be nice until this crap settled down. He stared at Dixon hard though.

                ‘No drugs around Rian. Not even one hit offa a weed cigarette.” He warned, his voice no allowing any arguments. Dixon snorted, looking a little insulted by his words, but he didn’t care. There would be no drugs around his charge, not when he had the choice about it anyways. The Redneck rolled his eyes.

                “I haven’t done a hit since we stopped the idiot from making himself and the kid into zombie chow. Don’t think it was because of Grimes either. I could have gotten the kid killed if I got high, and that wasn’t an option. I’m going cold turkey on this one.” He replied roughly, though he didn’t seem angry. Shane nodded and left the tent. For some reason he trusted Dixon to keep an eye on Rian, and he wasn’t going to look to close at that.


	2. Summertime Sadness

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Alright ladies and gents. This story has strong plunnies that have rallied for it's escape from one of the sixty notebooks that are currently holding stories hostage. I'm sorry if this isn't the story you wanted updated, but i'm working as fast as my poor hands will go. I have about a dozen more chapters already written for this, i just have to type them. Enjoy this update!

                Shane was walking towards camp when a shout stopped him. He looked over to see Glen jogging up and slowed his pace. The young man was good at what he did- collecting supplies for the camp and getting around unseen. He kind of liked him in a little brother who annoys you, but looks up to you kind of way. He was panting as he fell in step beside Shane, and looked more than a little guilty. Over what remained to be seen.

                “You know that I’m sorry I never stood up to Lori myself and told her off about what she was doing right? We were all worried that she’d take off with Carl and get them both killed- considering I don’t think she even knows how to fight. She’s off with the woman on a ‘walk’ right now. I think that was code for a lecture on why making men have sex with you is bad by the way. I really don’t care if she comes back, considering we have Mr. Grimes here now and he can take Carl without her declaring that he’s not his parent and all that crap.” Glenn babbled, his eyes moving from one thing to another with nervous energy. Shane winced at the reminder of what he still had to deal with beyond Rian’s recovery. He didn’t know how he could explain it to Rick without sounding like a lying ass. He’d declared his dislike of the female genitalia more than a couple times and he still fucked her.

                When Glenn froze like a deer in the headlight Shane paused and looked to where the younger man was staring. Rick was walking in his direction, determination in every step and that made Shane flinch. He deserved whatever was going to happen because of his inability to tell Lori to fuck off. Glenn smiled at him apologetically, before bolting in the other direction. The kid was smart- he didn’t blame him for saving himself. Shane squared his shoulders, ready for a punch, or whatever else his friend thought he deserved. When Rick motioned to the woods he went, glad the whole camp would have to see him getting the crap beaten out of him for what he had done.

                Only a punch never came. He’d been expecting Rick to beat the hell out of him for fucking his wife, but not this. As soon as they got far enough into the woods Rick slammed him into a tree, his lips pressing urgently onto Shane’s. They demanded a response as Rick pressed his body closer to his and when he gasped the other man took the opening. One of Rick’s hand’s held the back of his head as his tongue explored his mouth.

              That action was making him harder than he had been in a long time. When the other hand grabbed his ass, pressing their cocks together as he pulled him closer Shane was a whimpering mess. Slowly the kiss ended and Rick drew back for air, panting heavily as he kept his body close. Shane closed his eyes, trying to get his mind back on track. He almost jumped as the hand that had been holding his head traced his face. He didn’t look though.

               “I’m so sorry Shane. So god damned sorry.” Rick muttered huskily, pressing a kiss to his cheek when he didn’t look up. The apology made his head snap foreword as he stared at the man he had first loved. He looked at Rick in shock, trying to figure out why he wasn’t angry. There was no reason for him to apologize to him.

                 “Why are you sorry Rick? I…” He started softly. Rick cut him off with another kiss, stopping him sharply.

                 “You were basically raped by my bitch of a wife. You’ve told me your opinion of vagina’s often enough in the past Shane. She threatened you to get what she wanted. I’m sorry I brought her into our lives Shane. So god damned sorry. I’m sorry I wasn’t strong enough to admit that I like the kiss, and that I wanted more. I didn’t want to be labeled as a faggot, and have to deal with that. I was a coward.” He whispered intently, sharply. Shane closed his eyes again. This was not what he had expected. There was no way in hell that he could accept this.

                “I can’t do this Rick. Rian just woke up. I need to get him fed right now, and I need to make sure he gets better.  God if we do this Rick, then Lori is going to be even more dangerous and you know it. You need to keep an eye on Carl, and make sure she never has a chance to take him and get him killed like she threatened to. Rian is my responsibility, Carl is yours.” He muttered, his words broken and sharp. It was unfair that Rick got to do this now. He had the chance before, but he had rejected him. Rick peppered his face with kisses, like he was trying to apologize. Oh god, he couldn’t handle this. The world had ended, and now he wanted him.

                 “Shane… I promise you that if Lori tries to take Carl it will be the last thing she does. I choose you. Do you even understand that? In front of God and every other deity out there I choose to be with you- and nothing will change my choice.” He growled. Shane turned his head stubbornly, not wanting to acknowledge him. “Just agree that you want me too Shane. We’ve wasted enough time with my stupidity please.” The other man almost begged. Shane didn’t give in. He had withstood Rick’s rejection once. He didn’t know if he could again. If this was a trick…

                 “Rick!” He yelped as the other man ground forward, pressing their bodies together tightly. He felt Rick’s lips curl into a grin on his neck just as clearly as he felt the other man’s cock press up against his.

               “I love that sound Shane. Let me make you beg. I promise you won’t regret it.” Rick purred into his ear, his breath hot and doing all sorts of things to Shane. To tell the truth he almost gave into the other man right then and there. He had the first and only man that he had ever loved telling him that he wanted him, and he felt like an idiot for shaking his head no. He had to get back to Rian. With what the teen had been through there was no way in hell he was going to let him down. He had to prove himself to the teen, proved that he really cared and he wasn’t just paying lip service to the fact that he’d been friends with his daddy. The young man in Merle’s tent needed to know he was safe, that he was protected now and that his needs would be looked after. He pushed Rick away from him.

              “We’ll… talk about this later Rick. Rian’s less than a half an hour out of his coma, he needs food and attention. You need to spend time with Carl. Your death and his momma’s behavior? That hit the kid hard and right now he needs his daddy telling him that everything’s going to be alright. He needs to prove to himself that you’re alive, because we all thought you were gone.” He murmured his voice husky and cracking slightly. He couldn’t be selfish and indulge himself with Rick. Not with what had happened since the world ended. It would be a while before he could believe the other man at face value in his ‘admission’. Rick nodded, a glint in his eyes.

                “You better believe I’ll be taking this up with you again later Shane. I’m not going to give up on you, no matter what might be going through that head of yours. Don’t forget I know you and I know that this? It’s going to eat you up. But you’re right about Carl. I need to make sure that he knows I still love him even though I could give two shits about his mother right now. And I need to make sure he knows not to go anywhere with her on his own.” Rick replied, his voice deep and rumbling. He leaned forward and kissed Shane again, chastely, before turning back towards camp. As he watched him leave Shane resisted the urge to rub his lips. Rick was one hell of a kisser sober.

              It took him a good ten minutes to gather himself and will down his erection. There was no way in hell he was walking back into camp with mussed hair, kiss swollen lips, and a bulge inside of his pants, let alone going back to Rian in that state. He knew the kid was gay too, but he didn’t want to parade his little circus of problems in front of him. Of course when he did get back to the camp Lori was obviously back from her walk with the other woman. And she didn’t sound happy at all. He noticed off handedly that Rick had gotten a tent off one of the other survivors, and he was putting it up with Carl. That must be why the Queen Bitch of their camp was in such a bad mood.

              “Rick. Don’t do this. I thought you were dead, Shane thought you were dead. I was mourning. I’m entitled to have fucked up, and I admit sleeping with him was wrong. It won’t happen again. You don’t get to come back and be angry with me though. You messed up too, you got your damn ass shot and you left us alone to all of this shit. You can’t take my son away.” Lori’s loud voice echoed through the camp. Shane winced. Getting food Rian was going to be damned near impossible without getting caught in this. And he didn’t want to hear Rick’s reaction to that little rant of lies and blame that his wife was putting out there in the world. He wasn’t in luck though, because Rick’s snort was loud enough to be heard across camp. Shane flinched, expecting the worse.

              “Carl, why don’t you go off and see what Ms. Andrea has for you to do for her.” He heard Rick tell his son in a low tone. He saw the little boy bolt in the opposite direction of his parents, and then the glare that Rick leveled Lori with. Shane couldn’t find it in himself to feel sorry for Lori for having to withstand that look, and proud of Rick for having the sense not to do anything in front of his son.

                “I’m sure you were just mourning, just like you were just getting comfort from the assholes before this happened. And you just had to go mourn with my gay best friend. I’m sure you got a lot of comfort from knowing that you were getting him to stick his cock in the one thing he hated more than anything. You used our son against him to get him into your bed. That makes you nothing more than a damned slut. If this was the first time, and you hadn’t used our son to coerce a gay man into your bed, I could have forgiven that Lori.” Rick spat out. Shane didn’t need to be next to them to know what the look on Lori’s face would be. She didn’t like being called out on her mistakes, and she didn’t like being told no. And Rick had just given her a resounding hell no. He was really going to do this, to break it off with the woman. From what he saw she’d paled to an almost ghost white.

               “ Don’t you talk to me like that Rick Grimes. I’m your wife and the mother of your child.” She hissed. Rick  laughed, and it wasn’t a nice thing. Shane started making his way to the camper- the food was there.

                “Were. You were my wife before the world ended and there is no such thing as divorce now. Hell I wish I had known it was you when Dixon warned me away from the camp hot crotch. You make me sick Lori Newman, and I’ve had enough of your shit. Carl’s staying with me, and there is no way in hell anyone will let you be alone with him after this.” He growled, his voice sharp and unforgiving. Shane resisted the urge to freeze and curse. Rick didn’t pull his punches when he was pissed. And he could hear the anger. He quickly located what he needed and started heading to Dixon’s tent. Hopefully he could get there unnoticed. This was one fight he wanted to avoid.

               “You can’t do this Rick. You can’t just decide that we aren’t married anymore and you most definitely can’t decide that you get custody of my son.” Lori hissed, her voice cracking. Shane sped up his pace, not wanting to get caught in the crossfire of this explosion.  Lori wasn’t going to take the separation lying down.

               “You did this to yourself Newman. Hell I could have forgiven you for anyone in this camp, but not Shane. And not the way you did it. You thought I was dead, I get that. But Shane is gay. He regards vagina’s in the same sense you regard shit. He wouldn’t willing stick his cock in one unless he was threatened, and boy did you threaten him. You gave him the choice of keeping it in his pants and you leaving the safety of camp with Carl and getting the both of you killed, or fucking you. I can’t forgive that, because what you did to him in giving him that choice? It makes you one hell of a demented woman.” Rick rumbled, his voice full of disgust. Shane didn’t stop as he neared Dixon’s tent, and he didn’t look back as Lori snorted at her ex-husband’s statement.

               “So poor little Shane whined to you to get himself out of trouble for sleeping with me. And of course you believed ever single word that dropped out of his mouth because you want to fuck him yourself. Don’t look at me like that Grimes. I’ve seen how you look at him and I know the feeling’s mutual. Your buddies at the station thought they should tell me how he reacted to you getting shot. Look around Rick. There’s no faggots here in camp, excluding you of course. He had to get his rocks off somehow, and I didn’t hear him complaining.” She spat out. Shane grimaced as he got to his destination. Merle was holding open the door to his tent for him, and Hadrian didn’t look to happy as the words filtered in. He almost wanted to punch Merle for not shielding Hadrian from what was happening. The teen didn’t need to hear the camps dirty laundry on the first day of his awareness. Rick’s laughter drew him out of his dark thoughts, as surprising as it was in the situation.

                “Shane didn’t have to explain himself or make excuses for what happened. I know him and I know you. I figured that this little sick sideshow was a revenge of sorts on your side. God woman you are so predictable. Even if this would have come out later? I wouldn’t have blamed him for what happened. Right now he’s busy with Hadrian, you know the teen that Dixon carried here in a coma? He’s awake. I saw his face when Dixon announced what had happened though. He was sick to his stomach and even I could tell it wasn’t out of guilt for fucking you. Not in the way you want it to be. If you convinced yourself he enjoyed sticking his cock in your cunt then you were sorely mistaken.” He replied lightly, as if he didn’t care what he was saying. Shane heard Rian snort as he finished getting into the tent. When he looked over at the teen he was glaring in the direction on the loud voices.

                “Oh please, give me ten minutes alone with that slag. I’ll make sure she knows not to bother you again.” Rian spoke, his voice cracking slightly, but anger clear in it. He watched as the teen took a sip of water, before he brought out the food he’d gotten. As he opened the chicken soup can Rian looked at him. “Can I hex her?” The teen asked. Shane snorted. He didn’t rely on his magic because of the fact he wasn’t a strong wizard. The teen could probably pull off some spectacular. He knew Jamie was a wiz in transfiguration, he'd loved to show off. If Rian was anything like his father one hex would be enough to make Lori's life hell. Lori snorted suddenly.

                 “You can’t just write me off Grimes. Hell even he can’t just walk away and pretend that he never slept with me. I haven’t menstruated since this whole mess started, and you know what that means.” She hissed, her voice dark. Shane’s heart stopped. Of course she would have yet another thing to keep everyone in line. As he paled Rian reached over and wrapped a too thin arm around him, weakly tugging him to sit on the palate next to him. Shane didn’t fight, already slipping into shock. He barely felt the small body cuddle into his comfortingly.

                “I can check the parentage and cast protection spells over the baby once I’m a bit stronger.” Rian murmured soothingly, ignoring the fact that there was a muggle in the tent as he spoke of magic openly. With the world like it was the statute was a moot point. “Please don’t panic, she’s not going to trap you in anything. I promise.” Rian murmured. Shane felt like he was going to get sick. He thought he had been careful when he had slept with her. Getting the slut pregnant had been at the bottom of his desires.

                   He had thought he’d avoided any possibility of doing so. As he slipped further into his panicked thoughts he didn’t notice the arms unwrapping from around him, or the teen dragging himself to his feet. He didn’t even hear Merle protesting until Rian’s voice broke through the fog surrounding him. And the teen didn’t sound happy. He scrambled up as Merle snorted, cursing under his breath as he joined the other man at the front of the tent.

                  “Alright you slag. I figure since I’ve heard that you’ve spread your legs for most of the men in this camp that you’re just either one honey slut, or you knew of your condition and you wanted someone to blame so that they would take care of your newest Spawn and Mr. Grimes son. Hell, you could have sabotaged any of your partner’s protective measures- and I’m sure they all covered up knowing just how many people you were fucking, for that exact reason. If you prove to be a danger to anyone in this camp- yourself and that child if there is one, I won’t hesitate in making sure you can’t do anything.” Rian’s voice bit through the silence that followed Lori’s announcement. Everyone turned to look at him. The teen was holding himself up by leaning on a pole outside the tent, but it was clear that he was pissed. Shane felt guilty that he was defending him. He saw Rick grin at Rian, his eyes sparkling with approval as Lori turned red with indignation. He’d have to watch her around Rian.

                 “I couldn’t have said that better myself Mark… I mean Hadrian. Now you shouldn’t be up and about right now. I’m sorry you had to hear this, and felt the need to step in but you have a fair bit of recovery ahead of you. Newman get something to eat. If you’re pregnant than your too thin. The child in you won’t survive at this rate, and the stress will be no good for it so just stop arguing.” Rick announced. They could all see Lori’s face fall as her announcement didn’t cause chaos, and nobody stepped up to defend her. Shane almost laughed at that.

                  “You can’t treat me like a walking incubator Grimes. I know how to take care of myself and my child.” Lori grumbled, sounding like a child who didn’t get her way. Rian laughed at her, and shane decided he needed to make an apperence. Rick’s eyes zeroed in on him as he came to stand next to the teen, taking the weight he was putting onto the pole and holding him up.  The teen smiled at him brightly, a thankful look in his green eyes. Then those eyes found Lori again, and they didn’t look so welcoming anymore. Shane could feel his disgust for her.

                 “No one is treating you any differently than what you deserve. Obviously being a mother means nothing to you considering how you used your living son. The only value the child you carry has to you is what it can get for you in favors and treatment, nothing more and nothing less. That isn’t what a child should come into the world to face.” Rian sneered back. Shane added a little pressure to the hold he had on the teen, and felt him press into him.

                 “You know nothing about me little boy. So stop trying to act like an adult, and like you understand this.” Lori hissed. Shane glared at her, and enjoyed the flinch that got. He saw Rick do the same as Rian laughed a hollow laugh. His eyes were hard as he looked Lori over head to toe, and a sneer formed on his lips.

                  “I understand women like you well enough. I knew a girl back home- not in the way you know most of the men in camp- but she got herself pregnant and then tried blaming me for it. I had a hell of a lot of family money and she’d grown up poor. She thought I’d cave to her family’s wishes that the two of us would get married and raise ‘our’ kid together and that she would be set for life. Only I wasn’t a ‘good’ little boy. I didn’t cave and I refused to take responsibility for a child that wasn’t mine. So she tried killing herself. When all that happened was her losing the child during the attempt she decided that I needed to die. Then she thought she could get my inheritance as damages to her emotional pain and suffering. She didn’t do it herself though. She knew from growing up around me that I was in the custody of people who abused me and had no idea about the money. My parents’ retainers never informed them of it. She told them and agreed to split it with them if I died. That’s how I ended up in the hospital in the coma. The funny thing is that even if they had proof of death I had a will so they got nothing out of it besides the satisfaction of seeing me beaten and half dead.” He replied, his voice dull and angry. Lori paled as he spoke, her hand going to her stomach and to her mouth like she was going to be sick. Shane didn’t give a damn about her though. He pulled Rian closer to his body, gritting his teeth as the story behind his injuries came out. He wished to god that he could get his hands onto the assholes who had done this.

              “I would never do that.” Lori whispered, sounding faint. Shane didn’t resist the urge to snarl at her when Rian shuddered, his strength failing him as his emotions crashed down. Rick looked over at his worriedly.

              “You could have fooled the hell out of me Lori. You used Carl against me, you can’t deny that. I did what I did because I didn’t want Rick’s son to die. Hell you just shouted out the fact that you’re probably pregnant to try and gain control again, to keep a hold on us and to create animosity. What would you have done if the brat came out looking like me? Claimed rape?” He growled. Rick sighed, stepping closer to Shane and Rian.

               “I wouldn’t have believed that for a second Shane. The moment she admitted to sleeping with you I would have known what happened and who pursued who. I know you and I know what she’s capable of. All of the arguing we did before? She was sleeping with other men even then and a couple of them told me to my face if I was going to treat her badly that they would be more than happy to take my place. Combining that with the fact I was in a coma as long as I was I’m pretty sure the child isn’t mine. If it’s yours we’ll deal with it as it comes. Now get Hadrian back into bed. He looks ready to fall over and go back into that sleep of his.” He replied, his voice gently. Lori looked away as he spoke and Shane smiled at the other man tightly. Of course Rick would have all the answers. He didn’t say anything as he guided Rian back into the tent. Merle was glaring at everyone as they passed him, especially Lori. The redneck looked ready to kill someone and for one Shane couldn’t blame him.


	3. Surviving the Best We Can

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Mer.... Another Chapter demanded to come out tonight. So here it is. I haven't got a lot of feedback on this story, so i can only hope you guys are liking it.

               Rian’s little performance drained the teen. Shane had barely gotten him to eat more than a couple spoonfuls of the soup before he had gone back to sleep, unable to stay awake. The older man knew that it would be like this a while, spurts of activity would drain the teen and put him back to sleep, but he didn’t have to like it. Merle had left him to watch over the teen, and while the redneck was one of the only people he trusted with Rian right now he knew he’d have to get a bigger tent so the teen could stay with him. He wasn’t going to let Rian out of his sight even after he was healed up. He owed Jaime that much, and he wasn’t going to fail him.

                Rick came into the tent close to nightfall, looking at Rian softly. Shane tried to ignore the heat rising in his gut at the other man’s proximity. He wasn’t going to give into his urges in relation to Rick. He needed to keep his mind on Rian and his recovery. Rick sighed, running a hand through his short hair and shaking his head.

              “We’re going to have to make a supply run for supplements and medicine to get him back to full strength. Hell even though he chewed Lori out she even made a comment that she was worried about him. That woman might be a lot of things, but she’s observant. He tired out too easily, and that’s not good in this world. HE needs high protein shakes to give him nutrients and from what I’ve seen of what this camp has for medical supplies we’re going to need a hell of a lot more. He’s at high risk for getting really sick because of his weakened state and the shelter we have is pretty pitiful. The last thing we need is for him to get sick, not in his state.” He finally spoke softly, moving and wrapping his arms around Shane, who shrugged him off quickly.

             “No, not right now Rick. We don’t have time to see where that would go because your right about getting things for Rian. I get that you’re not afraid of being a victim of gay bashing. Your wife whoring around just released you from what sounds like a toxic relationship, but I need to be here for Rian. And as much as I would like you to wrap me up and love me we can’t afford to do this.” He murmured, trying not to wake Rian. Rick looked understandingly at him, but he didn’t look too happy about being denied again. He was persistent.

              “I know, but I won’t stop trying to hold you whenever I get the chance. I missed out because I was a coward.” He replied before grinning widely. “Now we need to make a list of what we need and make a run as soon as possible. From what I understand Glen normally goes on these things, but he’s looking tired. He needs a break. T-Dog and Glen can watch over Rian and Carl, along with Dale and his girls.” He replied, his voice husky. Shane frowned, before looking at the sleeping teen. He didn’t like the thought of leaving him alone, but it was the flash of appreciation for the perfect mix of his dead friend and his wife that had sealed the deal. He’d been a cop for 10 years, and a damned good one. He had no business thinking any sort of thoughts about a 16 year old. He nodded.

            “Alright. It’s almost his 17th birthday. I don’t know how many parties he’s had in his life, but I want to get him a present too. And maybe even introduce him to alcohol if he’s up to it. God knows that Jamie and I had already gone on some hell of benders by his age.” He responded softly. Distance would be good for the moment at least. He needed to get his damned head together, and part of him blamed Rick for stirring up his hormones. Rick grinned widely at him, and Shane motioned that they should leave the tent to talk more. He didn’t need to wake Rian up when they would be leaving in a couple hours. Hopefully the kid slept through their absence.

* * *

 

               Daryl Dixon liked to get out of camp sometimes to get away from the noise and drama that filled thier camp. It made him a little crazy after a while, and the scent of poorly washed bodies did nothing for him. Nature cleared that away though, and the thrill of the hunt calmed him. The past two days had been one of those times. He got back to camp with a good supply of food for everyone about seven hours after his brother had left with Shane and Rick, not that he knew that as he carried the deer and dozen squirrels towards his tent. All he knew was the big negro was hovering around his brother’s tent with the china man and the old guy. Instantly he moved forward, worry eating at his gut. Had he missed a walker attack? Had his brother been hurt, been killed? He quickened his pace and Andrea intercepting him before he actually got there. He resisted the urge to glare at her, if he was going to get any answers that wouldn't be the way to go.

              “No one is hurt Daryl. Merle’s on a supply run with Shane and Lori’s Ex. You missed one hell of a scene by going on your hunting trip. The last supply run brought Lori’s ex with them, and a kid named Hadrian who was in a coma. Rian’s in the tent right now with Carl. Merle took a shining to him on the supply run and hasn’t really let him out of his sight since. Well the kid woke up, and he’s been severely abused so Shane, Rick and your brother went out to get things to help him get better.” Andrea spoke quick and fast. Daryl had to concentrate on her words to make everything out. She wasn’t finished yet though so he didn’t try to butt in. This woman could get pissy when you interrupted her, and he was in no mood to deal with a PMSing woman.

                “The real  action happened when your brother told Rick that Lori had been blackmailing Shane into sleeping with her. Shane and Rick had been partners on the force and apparently Shane is gay. Lori didn’t like the fact that Rick decided the marriage was over then and there, and she tried blaming Shane, then she tried blackmailing the whole damned camp- men wise, by revealing she’s pregnant. That got Rian’s attention and even though the kid is as weak as a kitten he got up to chew her out. Merle doesn’t want to chance Lori going postal on the kid in revenge for what he said to her so he made sure T-Dog promised not to leave his tent. Carl’s in there because Rick doesn’t want his ex-wife making good on her threats to run off with him.” She finished,, drawing in a deep breath. He didn’t know how she spoke so fast with so little oxygen. The perverted part of his mind made note that she’d give a great blow job, but he wasn’t interested in her like that so it was a moot point. He flinched as he registered that the new kid had been abused. That would pull at Merle’s guarded heart.

              “The abused one would soften Merle up a bit. His best friend was beaten to death by his pa when we were kids.” He murmured absently, ignoring the look of surprise on the woman’s face. Neither he nor Merle were particularly talkative if their past. Part of that was because he didn’t need their judging Merle for the fact that he’d been in prison when everything had gone down and Daryl had broken him out. He sighed suddenly.

               “I’ll watch the new kid myself. If T-Dog has to stay outside the tent then so be it, but I don’t want Lori’s spawn in my tent. There should be enough of you to make sure that the woman doesn’t walk off with him.” He said pointedly. Andrea scowled slightly at the dismissal, but nodded anyways.

               “I’ll go get Carl and tell the others. Then I have to get back to watching his momma to make sure she doesn’t do anything stupid. She’s not taking the dismissal well and the last thing we need is her pulling an idiotic stunt and getting turned into a walker.” She replied tightly. Hel rolled his eyes as he finished walking to behind his tent and started stringing his catch on the lines he had hung there. He’d pretty much cleaned the squirrels already, so their skinless gutted bodies went up from his sac with no problem. The deer is what he’d waited until camp to clean- it was far easier to haul it intact. As he cleaned the thing he ignored Andrea leaving with Lori’s brat and most of the people crowding his tent. He knew from experience the teen inside needed his rest to recover.

               When he was done preparing the deer he snuck inside his tent with a nod to T-Dog. The other man just grunted, and Daryl didn’t expect anything else. He and his brother weren’t exactly race friendly at the best of times, and a zombie apocalypse was not the best of times. As he stripped his bloody clothes off and cleaned up in the small sink they had rigged up inside their tent he looked over to see a shock of black hair curled in Merle’s bed. He couldn’t resist the small grin that forced its way up as he gathered clean clothes and changed quickly.

               The fact that Merle had someone to protect in this camp other than him was a good thing. Merle didn’t trust easily and that mistrust could get his brother killed. Now he might actually get to know people and strengthen camp. A strong group of people survived better than one divided like theirs was. Of course the kid sleeping in his brother’s bed was key. Merle was already attached to him and if the kid made ties with the rest of camp Merle would follow- if not just to make sure the kid didn’t get hurt. He jumped when the kid whimpered suddenly, and moved his arms like he was fighting someone off. A nightmare.

              Daryl didn’t hesitate to climb into the bedding with Hadrian. The teen looked like he was in a bad way and if he struggled too much he could hurt himself. If he got hurt under Daryl’s watch Merle would skin him alive. As he wrapped his arms around the too slim body, murmuring comforts something odd happened. Instead of shrinking away from him and waking up screaming like he’d seen abuse victims’ do the teen calmed at his touch.

               “Shh Hadrian. It’s alright now, I promise. You’re safe here and there aint nobody that’s going to hurt you.” He hummed, ignoring the fact that the teen wasn't screaming and trying to fight him off. He wasn’t going to look a gift horse in the mouth though. If Hadrian was calm then it was a good thing. Suddenly the teen’s arms wrapped around him like a trap, and he found himself with a small body settling on top of him. It shouldn’t have happened but the contact set him abuzz with feelings that just shouldn’t be there considering the teen in his arms looks 13 at the most and he wasn’t a pervert like that. Even the fact that the teen was most likely older than he looked thanks to the abuse didn’t set his mind at ease though as his scent clouded his senses. He was going to be going to hell for this. He almost groaned as Hadrian nuzzled his neck, sighing hot air that made his skin tingle all the more. He closed his eyes, determined to ignore the feelings. That was how his brother found them almost two hours later. Merle’s laugh made his eyes pop open.

                 “You’re one lucky bastard. Shane and Rick are pretty protective over the kitten in your arms, and this looks less than innocent I have to say Daryl. It’s a good thing that the two of them are sorting out the supplies and passing out what’s not for the kid in your arms. The kid may be gay, but with him injured like that aint nobody touching him.” Merle chortled, sounding more amused then he had any right to be. Daryl glared weakly at his brother, the information not helping his little problem in the slightest as Hadrian shifted on his chest.

                 “He had a damned nightmare and I tried to help. God above Merle, please tell me he’s at least sixteen, because this little monkey wrap he has going on me is really playing with my mind with how young he looks.” He begged, his voice breaking. Merle’s laugh was louder this time, as a smug smirk found its way to his lips.

                 “Rian is almost seventeen, so there’s nothing to worry about there baby brother. But please wait until he’s running around and healed before nailing him to a bed. I wouldn’t want to have to kill you because you took advantage of him after all.” He replied slyly, innuendo clear in his drawl. Daryl groaned, cursing his damned luck. He hadn’t been attracted enough to any of the males here to reveal his predilection, but it looked like that would change. Hell the closest he’d gotten to letting anyone know was with Shane, but Lori would have gutted him.

                  “I’ll try my damndest Merle, but he keeps wiggling like this all bets are off.” He bit out as the teen moved once again, pressing his hips and a half hard length down into his groin. Merle bit his fist, watching with his damned eyes sparkling for a minute before coming to the rescue. He easily picked the too slim form off of Daryl, ignoring how the aroused, but sleeping teen whimpered as he was taken away from the warm body he’d been molesting in his sleep. Daryl buried his head in the blankets as he listened. Damn his hormones.

                  “Come on Rian, Daryl’s had enough of your sleep molestation for now.” He heard his brother joke softly. The teen didn’t wake up and as Daryl peeked his head out of the blankets he saw him curl up all docile like in Merle’s arms. It was odd how much trust the teen had for his brother, considering he barely knew the other man. “That’s it kitten. Let’s get you to bed again. Shane and Rick will be here soon to wake you up and start you on your new diet. Best you get all the rest you can before they do.” His brother continued, commandeering his bed to set the sleeping teen in. Daryl got out of his brothers bed and watched his gentle actions with a sad smile.

                 “He reminds you of Mark doesn’t he?” He asked with a sad note in his voice. Merle nodded; his face hardening as he settle the boy back into a next of blankets. He looked angry and Daryl didn’t blame him. The kid that had been on top of him looked rough, and for him to be as small as he was and be sixteen? The abuse had been bad enough that Daryl was surprised the teen was even alive to be trapped in this messed up world.

                 “When Grimes was travelling with him he didn’t know his name, so he named him Mark. Hell when that idiot introduced us to his sick friend Mark when we saved his ass from becoming walker chow I thought the past was repeating itself. I could see how badly the kid had been abused even though he’d been in a coma for months and had time to heal then. It wasn’t until we got back to camp and Shane recognized him because he’d known his daddy that we found out his name was Hadrian, Rian for short. The kid is damned special Daryl and I aint going to let him get hurt again. That’s why I’m not knocking your head off for admitting you have some attraction towards him, I know you won’t fuck up and hurt him.” His brother admitted; his voice gruff.

                 Daryl nodded, understanding now why Merle had taken an instant liking to the kid. But no matter what his said he’d try to avoid letting his mind go into the gutter with Merle’s new charge. Try being the optimal word. He didn’t know the extent of the teen’s abuse yet, and even though Merle identified his as gay there was territory to be tested there. There was too much chance that the abuse had spread out into other facets as the teen had grown, and if he had his way the teen wouldn’t know of his little escapade until he was sure that it hadn’t. If Rian had survived this long he wasn’t going to chance adding more suffering to his plate by assuming he’d only been physically abused and trusting that he was gay by choice and not by some untasteful means.

                  When Shane and the new guy entered their tent Daryl nodded to them. There were both carrying rather large packs, so he assumed that their foraging trip had gone well, which was good for the sleeping teen. He’d need a hell of a lot of things to make sure that he got better- that much was for sure. Merle smirked at him as Shane went over to his bed and looked at the teen in it. Then Shane looked up at him, his eyes hard.

                   “He did alright when we were gone? No one bothered him?” He asked softly. Daryl nodded tightly, trying not to think of the teen wrapped around him of his smell. He was really going to hell for this.

                    “The others watched him until I got here. Then I took over. He had a nightmare about two hours ago but calmed quickly enough. He hasn’t woken up since I’ve been here though. I have fresh meat on the line even though I’m sure he can’t handle it. We might be able to make some broth though.” He replied. Shane nodded grimacing slightly as he smoothed the teen’s ruffled hair. Daryl could see he cared about the boy a lot.

                   “Nightmares are to be expected with the hell he’s been through. I’ll make sure that when he’s sleeping someone is around though. The more he knows he’s safe the more likely he’ll be to talk about his dreams and what happened to him. God Jaime would kill me if he knew I believed those assholes when they said Rian died with him and his wife. If I had just tried to find out I might have been able to prevent this from happening.” He replied, his voice full of self blame. Daryl would have smacked him if the new guy hadn’t. What was done was done and regrets were not going to change a damned thing in this scenario. He had to be strong for the teen now.

                  “Don’t you dare blame yourself Shane. If they wanted you to think Rian was dead nothing in the world would have changed that and you damned well know it.  You’ve said it yourself- you have to be strong for him now, to make sure he knows he’s safe and loved. We’ll deal with whatever happened to him as it comes out. He already told us how he came to be in the coma, he’ll tell us the rest in time.” Grimes growled. Daryl raised an eyebrow at his brother- he didn’t know that they’d already gotten that out of the teen. Shane snorted though.

                   “He didn’t tell us because he trusted us Rick. He announced it to camp because he wanted to justify that he knew what he was talking about because the bitch in his life who was like Lori did the same shit minus making him sleep with her. Only she upped the ante by making a deal with his abusive uncle who had custody of him that if he killed him then he’d get half of Rian’s family money. And she did that just because he was gay and didn’t want to marry her so she could have his money that way. Hell I remember Lily’s sister’s husband. There’s no way in hell a child of Jaime’s lineage should have gone to either of them. That fat pig would have beat Rian just for being gay, the bitch didn’t have to mention his money.” Shane growled back. Daryl took note of what was being said. He might have been a bit premature in worrying that the abuse had been sexual too. Shane’s observation didn’t eliminate the possibilities, because he’d beaten in enough faces of men who protested homosexuality then molested their son’s or nephews before, but it made him breathe a little easier.  Grimes snorted this time.

              “The only reason he was chewing Lori out was because she was insulting you. The young man in that bed cares about you Shane. You told me he already knew who you were, that he had read his daddy’s notes and diaries. He trusts you whether you like it or not. Now let’s shut up about this and wake Rian up to feed him. He’ll never get better if we don’t start getting some nutrition in him and you know it.” Grimes responded, a note of finality in his voice. Shane nodded tightly before reaching over and tapping the teen’s cheek. Rian groaned cutely, trying to roll away from the older man’s hand and Shane chuckled, a smile gracing his face.

               “Just like your daddy- never wanting to drag yourself out of whatever dream you may be having. Come on Rian, Time to eat.” He hummed. The teen groaned again, before beautiful green eyes opened slowly and locked onto Shane with a sleepy glare. The teen’s lips formed a put as he looked around the tent, blinking owlishly.

                “Why is there so many people in here? I swear when I fell asleep only Carl was here.” He asked confused. Merle chuckled loudly and Rian jumped, making Daryl want to smack his brother. Loud noises and abuse victims’ did not go hand in hand. In fact you kind of wanted to avoid combining them when possible. When Rian looked at him he winked, before pointing to Daryl with a wide grin, a mischievous look in his eyes.

                “This is my brat brother. He was your teddy bear when you had a nightmare so you already know him even if you don’t think so. It’s his tent too so he’s here because he lives here. As for us? Well we just got back from our little trip and we all decided to congregate here. Now I want no protesting on this diet we’ve worked out- we busted our asses getting it together.” Merle spoke, his voice stern. Rian blushed bright red and Daryl resisted a groan at the sight of blood spreading through the teen’s face as he looked over to Shane. Instead of looking angry at the news that his charge had been cuddling him in his sleep he looked damned amused.

                 “He got that from his daddy too. I remember one night, god we must have been about fifteen and his daddy was in the US with his parents visiting. We had a sleep over and in the middle of the night I woke up to Jamie wrapped around me like a damned octopus. He apparently migrated to the nearest source of body head and latched on. It happened again every damned night that week. It was very amusing considering Jaime never thought of me like that.” Shane chortled out. Rian looked mildly interested at that bit of information, and Daryl wondered how much he knew about his parents. The interest was beating back the embarrassment though, and the blush was fading away, which Daryl was thankful for. Shane looked at him suddenly, and there was a glint in his eyes.

                  “Well that’s neither here nor there right now. Let’s get something on your stomach Rian. I’m sure you’ll feel a hell of a lot more human after that. We’re going to start off on protein shakes, nothing too heavy. We also have some broths if that’s too much for you.” Grimes broke in before anything else could be said. Daryl could have kissed him considering the look in his friend’s eyes, but he wasn’t going to touch that issue with a ten foot pole. The feeling Grimes gave off around Shane were not ones of just a male buddy- the other man wanted Shane. He dismissed himself as Grimes started getting the teen’s meal ready and his brother followed him out of the tent. He ignored him until he got to the meat that was hanging on the line. HE’d been planning on getting some ready for dinner when his brother’s hand landed on his shoulder and he turned, looking into dead serious eyes.

                  “You have got to control your wolf Daryl. I saw how you reacted to Hadrian blushing and I know what that means. He’s underage, injured and in no condition for a mating. I will slap you down if you go after that pup.” Merle growled, his blue eyes flashing gold. Daryl resisted the urge to whine and bare his throat submissively, he was no sub and he wouldn’t act like one. Just because his brother was an older dominate in charge of their little pack didn’t mean he would lower himself like that. He nodded tightly. The teen was something else.

                    “He’s not human. The smell he’s putting off... god damn it.” Daryl murmured, frustrated with himself. His brother snorted at his statement.

                    “I don’t smell it, but then again I’m probably not compatible. Not in the sense you are. He’s just a pup to me, a pup who needs protecting. I know he’s magical in nature, but I doubt that’s what you mean. Shane’s magical too, less powerful though.” He replied, his voice losing it’s dead serious tone and taking on a more easy going one. Daryl sighed, their breed of wolf didn’t shift with the moon but it gave them one hell of a temper and intolerance for certain things. Mark had been the runt of his family’s litter and his father didn’t take well to runts. Merle had killed the older wolf shortly after Mark’s death and no one had said a damned thing. It was the outside world that couldn’t understand them and that’s where Merle had found himself in enough trouble to go to jail over.

                    “It’s not the magic. I’ve been around enough magic users to know that scent. It’s another creature scent. Not wolf, but something else. Something that oozes sex.” He replied, his voice still tight. He didn’t like the fact that he was attracted to the abused teen in his tent, not when he didn’t understand why. Merle sighed.

                “He’s turning seventeen soon. We’ll find out just what the other is then.” He grunted, before wandering off. Daryl watched him go and sighed. Living with Rian in their tent was going to get interesting if he was still there after his birthday. And if Shane didn’t know about his friends creature then he was going to kill him for the urges he had towards said friend’s son. Sometimes he hated being a wolf, but it was nothing he could change.


	4. Days Go By

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello All!!!! Another chapter for my lovelies. None of the good sexy-time stuff yet, just more story.... I promise the sex is coming soon though- and Rian's Birthday!!!! Woot!!! Is it sad i'm having a good time typing this story up- and then re reading it to myself in the voice of the actor's who play the characters? And I'm hyper right now... And i feel like typing more.... Bad combo. Mean's i'll be up for another 4 hours in the least. and i should stop ranting while i'm ahead..
> 
> Angelic Toxin

                Shane managed to get a bigger tent and bedding for Rian and himself on the supply run, but he didn’t move the teen until three days later. Rian was stronger then, and Shane felt like the move wouldn’t stress him out too much. That and he was getting antsy about letting the teen sleep in the same tent as Daryl Dixon. Rian had two more nightmares that he’d knew about, and both times he found the teen wrapped around Merle’s younger brother with the man red faced beneath him. He didn’t feel comfortable leaving the still sixteen year old there so he didn’t. Call it protectiveness or just plain possessiveness he didn’t care, the look in Daryl’s eyes when he was around Rian made him nervous, like the younger Dixon was just barely restraining himself from doing something.

               He watched as Merle settled Rian on a lawn chair on top of Dale’s RV. The position was the easiest to defend, and had the plus of letting the recovering teen soak in the sun. Shane was happy to note that Rian was starting to look better, he was gaining color every day and he’d even put on some more weight. He could move around for longer and longer amounts of time each day without tiring so easily and was starting to be able to handle more complex foods on his stomach. To sum it up he was recovering nicely after a week and a half and that was good news. Shane shifted as he felt someone looking at him and one look confirmed it was Rick.

             The other man was playing a little ways away with his son, and Sophia. The little girls father hadn’t made it a couple weeks ago, not that it was much of a loss considering the asshole had been one abusive SOB, and she followed Rick around like he was her hero. Shane shuddered at the look in Rick’s eyes as heat passed through his body straight to his groin. The look was pure arousal and said that if he gave in he wouldn’t regret it.

              Rick had been serious when he’d told him that he wasn’t going to stop trying to get him in his bed. He took every chance he got to remind Shane that he wanted him, and he wasn’t subtle about it. Hell everyone in camp, except maybe Carl, Sophia and Rian knew it. Most of the other members of their little band of people were amused by their interaction, and then there was Lori. Rick Ex-wife barely spoke to anyone that she didn’t have to these days. But then again after it was confirmed that she was in fact pregnant she didn’t get out much.

              The women had taken over watching her to prevent any sort of potential conflict by having one of the men do it. No one wanted Lori spending the day yelling and whining to one of the guys about how unfair this was, or about how they owed her because they could be the father of the child. There would be too many chances for tempers to flair. And Lori had the talent to make any person pissed off in minutes. It was just best left alone. Lori had made her own bed since the world had anded and she was experiancing the results of her actions. HE couldn't find it in himself to feel sorry for her.

              It was kinda sad though, with about ten days of rest and good nutrition the woman was starting to show. It reminded everyone of the fact that with the world how it was there was next to no chance of actually confirming how far along Lori was. Or how much damage she’d done to the baby by not taking care of herself. If she was far enough along she could be carrying a child that wouldn’t survive long in this world. And if the pregnancy was a new thing, well that meant that she had gotten pregnant on purpose and would open up a new can of worms.

              Rick winked at him as he drew himself out of the thoughts he was having. Shane raised an eyebrow, holding back a laugh as the man who was chasing after him got a face full of the grass ball that Sophia’s mom had fashioned for them to play with because he wasn’t paying attention to the kids he was with. Carl and Sophia had no such qualms though, and their laughter filled the camp- so carefree and innocent as Rick sputtered and ran after them. They needed to keep that innocence, and Rick was doing one hell of a job drawing it back out.

               His attention was drawn away from the scene when another laugh joined the mix. He looked back over to Rian and scowled slightly as he saw Daryl Dixon leaning against a pole, grinning up at Rian as he talked to him. Whatever the man had said had made Hadrian laugh, and while Shane thought the laughter part was good the part that it was Daryl causing said laugh made him bite back a frown. No matter what the other man thought he wasn’t doing a good job in hiding the fact that he was attracted to the too small teen. It was in his every movement and his every word if you knew what to look for.

                  Shane didn’t like it one bit, because Rian had enough to deal with right now and he didn’t need to deal with a crushing older man. He of course ignored the way that Rian would flush with life, and get a little bit better after each encounter that left Dixon aroused and Rian seemingly ignorant of what he was causing because the teen got the same flush from him sometimes and that was territory that he just didn’t want to cross. Anything that had to do with his appreciating of Rian’s looks was firmly ignored on his part. He wasn’t going to touch that issue, not yet anyways. He looked away from the two. It wasn’t like he could stop Dixon from flirting with Rian anyways, so he would just ignore it and the nagging feeling at the back of his mind for now..

* * *

 

               For the most part Daryl ignored Shane’s behavior towards him. He understood that the other man was looking out for the small teen in his charge, but his brother’s warning kept him in line better than the cop’s glare did any day. With Merle claiming Rian as his pup there was no way in hell that Daryl was going to go against the other wolf’s orders and try anything until the teen was recovered. Even if said teen was oozing sex pheromones more and more the closer he got to his birthday. Hell Daryl couldn’t even spend more than five minutes around Rian without getting a hard on, and from what he could smell off of Shane the other man wasn’t fairing much better. Only wizards were notorious about not noticing things like that. The poor sap probably was beating himself up over the attraction he was feeling to the small creature. Daryl had gotten over that in the first week.

               Rian’s behavior around men wasn’t shy, he didn’t flinch away from a male touching him and he had his own little shy way of flirting. In short Daryl was sure that the teen had found out he was gay of his own accord, which was one hell of a relief. Since he was compatible to whatever creature inheritance the small wizard had he would have hated to have had to keep himself in check because there had been sexual abuse. With Shane’s behavior he assumed the other man was compatible as well and Grimes might be too. He didn’t know about Grimes just because the other man didn’t interact much with Rian, not around him at least.

              He had a feeling the teen would need a lot of compatible men after his birthday though. With the injuries Rian had sustained and the length of his coma whatever creature blood he had in him had at least partially activated to compensate and help him heal. That meant that the sex pheromones he was producing now were only the beginning of what was to come. After his birthday they would be almost unbearable to anyone who was compatible with him, because creatures who produced those pheromones thrived on sexual contact. To deny them of it would be tantamount to starving them, and he knew that no one in this camp would starve Rian. Hell even the secrecy that would have been demanded of them before the world ended meant nothing. And it wasn’t like they would hide the fact that there were creatures and magic users in their group. Life was defiantly going to get interesting soon enough. He looked up as Rian tossed a nut shell at him, a mischievous look in his green eyes. He defiantly didn’t mind being compatible to the teen.

             “What was that for?” He asked. Rian’s smirk grew wider, his eyes sparkling merrily.

              “You looked like you were thinking to hard. I wouldn’t want you to burn out that brain of yours.” Rian shot at him, his hand playing with another nut shell. The teen ate a lot of little things constantly through the day- as much as his stomach would handle. They were trying to get him to recover after all, and Daryl didn’t mind having to deal with his hard-ons after his talks with Rian for that reason. If Rian was sending off pheromones then he was feeding from the arousal that caused. And the more he fed the better off he would be. He snorted softly.

                 “I’m not going to burn out my brain by thinking Rian. Now what’s on your plate today?” He asked, shifting slightly, trying to avoid the teen noticing what he was doing to him. His brother’s warning echoed in his head. He had a feeling if the teen knew he was attracted to him that he would try something. It was just a feeling and he had nothing to base it on, but his gut was rarely wrong. He could only imagine the frustration the other man was experiencing, because with those pheromones being pumped out he was horny, and he was a teen on top of it. He remembered being one horny fuck without needing sex as a teen. Rian snorted softly, and sighed, his face screwing up in thought.

               “Sitting here snacking, just like I do every day. I can’t wait until I can move around without everyone hovering around me like I’m going to pass out and slip into a coma again every second of the day.” The teen groused, sounding unhappy. Daryl winced. He couldn’t blame Rian for getting annoyed with everyone’s behavior, but they were only acting like this because they cared. Each and every person that had been there when Merle carried the limp, battered body into camp didn’t want to see that happen again. And even though Daryl hadn’t seen that sight he found himself never wanting to. He’d kill whoever hurt the teen in a heartbeat and have no regrets about it. Rian was that important to him and they hadn’t even mated yet. He would hate to see what he’d be like if he pupped Rian. Almost immediately he pushed that thought out of his mind. It only made him even more aroused, and he didn’t need to be imagining that situation right now. He couldn’t distract himself like that.

               “I’m sure that you’ll be up in no time Rian. I just wanted to tell you that there’s going to be one less person to hover for a couple of days. I’ll be back the morning of yer birthday, but we’re running low on meat again, and I don’t want to deal with these people if they don’t have something to put in their stomachs. I’m going to be hunting for some more. Didn’t want to just up and disappear on ya without saying something though.” He replied, his voice soft. Rian pouted at him, and then looked away scowling. He didn’t look too pleased by the news.

                “So you get to go out and have fun while I get to stay here and ‘rest’. I repeat, I’m going to be happy when I can move around freely without someone freaking out over it. This has gone past boring, into the mind numbing territory.” Rian muttered; a sulking tone in his voice. For the first time since the teen had wrapped him up in his sleep trap Daryl didn’t smell the pheromones. All he was getting was the stink of frustration.

               The teen’s birthday couldn’t come soon enough in his opinion; he knew that the magical part of his inheritance would leave him in better shape than he was in now. And the creature part? Well it would support the rest of his recovery more than it was now. He had a feeling Rian didn’t stay down long normally and this long recovery was more than testing his patience.  Rian didn’t look at him as he moved from his leaning position.

                 “Look kid, you were injured badly and now you have to recover. End of the story. There’s nothing more anyone can do right now- except make sure ya don’t overdo it and that ya get the things ya need to recover. I get that this fucking sucks, but ya gotta be patient with yerself and the people around you. I’ll go now if ya want. Seems like I pissed ya off a little.” He spoke, his voice soft. Rian sighed and ran a hand through his hair.

                “I hate not being able to do anything more than sit around like a giant lump of lard.” He muttered. Daryl snorted at the teen’s description. There was no way that you could consider him a lump of lard.

               “You’ll be lucky to find a pound of fat on yer body Rian, but nice try. Look, I’m sure that yer going to be running circles around most of these people soon enough. Just rest up and I’ll see ya on yer birthday.” He replied. Rian growled, and waved a hand in the direction away from him, clearly dismissing him. Daryl snorted, but got moving. If Rian’s guardian was watching this he’d be coming over to make him leave soon enough anyway.

* * *

 

               Shane looked at Rian as he settled himself in his bedding. Since Daryl had left him earlier his mood had been off. Angry and sulking. He sighed, he probably didn’t want to know what the younger Dixon had done or said, but he wasn’t going to let the teen stew over this. And he was stewing with the way he was jerking his blankets around angrily as he settled them around him. Whatever had happened had pissed him off.

              “Alright. I’ll bite, what happened with Dixon? I looked over and you two are laughing together, and then he’s gone and you’re in this mood.” He asked. Rian glared at him as he spoke, then sighed, rubbing a hand over his face.  Shane waited for him to speak, and after a couple false starts he was rewarded for his patience.

                  “I got pissed off with Daryl when he said he was going on a hunting trip. It’s stupid I know, but I just realized how utterly useless I am right now and I snapped at him. And now he’s off on his trip and I’m stuck here ‘resting’.” He replied, frustration clear in his voice. Shane closed his eyes and sighed. He’d known that this was going to happen. He hadn’t gotten anymore of what happened in England out of Rian, but he had a feeling that the teen had been in the thick of whatever was going on. And now being faced with a world full of danger and not being able to do anything? He opened his eyes and looked at the sullen teen sitting in his bed.

             “Getting pissed off when you’re feeling frustrated is normal Rian, I’m sure that Dixon understands that and he won’t hold it against you. What concerns me is that you think you should be helping while you’re in the condition you are in. Hell Rian, I’m sure that once you’re back on your feet you’ll be doing more than your fair share around here. Enjoy the downtime while you have it.” He replied. Rian glared at him as he did.

           “I don’t want to just sit around Shane. Merlin, I’ve either been in a coma or been watched like I was an invalid for over six months. You don’t get it, it was all out war in England for so long, and I’ve been in the thick of it since I was eleven years old. I don’t do sitting on my ass and letting someone else protect and provide for me well.” The teen growled, his hand catching in his own hair and tugging slightly. Shane grimaced.

             “Well you’re going to have to learn to, because even after your better? People aren’t going to just look the other way and let you do your own thing. Hell even Daryl’s brother is keeping an ear out for him, and he doesn’t wander further than a mile, maybe two tops from camp when he’s out hunting. This group- all of us, we’re surviving by relying on each other. We have to trust that the people we are living with will watch out for us when we need them to and they need to know we will do the same. I don’t care how it went in England, none of us are alone in this and that’s something that you need to understand.” He murmured; his voice low and hard. There were a whole lot of things that he had to say to the people who had a hand making the teen feel like he should be in the thick of things all the time, none of them would be nice. It made him even more afraid to find out just what the hell had been going on in England, and why Rian had to kill someone for the community there. Rian lay down hard, his whole body jarring with the impact, and groaned. He still sounded frustrated, but it was less intense now.

               “How in Merlin’s name am I supposed to accept that?” He whispered, looking at Shane with green eyes full of sorrow. “Besides this little pow wow we have going on here it’s always been up to me to do things, and I can’t do crap right now. Even my magic is still acting weird.” He added sullenly. Shane sighed, aggravated.

              “You’re coming up to an important birthday in the wizarding culture Rian. Your magic is going to be weird for a little bit until after it passes. And it’s working on healing you besides that. No one is expecting some superhero magician to save them and solve all their problems. Hell even the strongest wizard couldn’t fix the hell that’s going on out there so don’t get any ideas in your head. I’m not going to see you kill yourself playing hero here when you can cast magic again. Small things only and no personal requests please.” He replied. Rian groaned.

             “To be completely honest I wouldn’t know where to begin. I know some warding, and I’m great with defensive and offensive magic’s but it’s going to take a hell of a lot of experimentation before I even know if magic’s going to help fight off the undead. Hermione would so be better at that part. She thrived on research.” He muttered, sounding more at ease than when Shane had started this conversation. The older man chuckled.

                “Who’s Hermione?” He asked softly, hoping to learn more about Rian’s past than the fact that he’d almost been killed for Jaime’s money, and that he’d been forced to protect an entire community of magic users since he was eleven. Rian actually smiled at that question, the first one to pass his lips in about five hours.

               “She’s my best female friend, and one hell of a support. During the war I tried ditching her and Ron, but neither of them let me for long. They always followed me no matter where I went. She did the research, Ron did the stratagy and i was the brute force.I guess this is one adventure I’m on my own for though. If they wouldn’t find me before the world went to crap what chance do they have now? I can only hope that they’re keeping each other safe through this. And that they’re keeping my god parents in line.” He replied softly, his voice full of emotion. Shane reached over and grabbed his hand, ignoring the thrill of emotions that passed through him at the skin on skin contact as he squeezed comfortingly.

              “I’m sure that they are trying their damndest to find you Rian. And while I won’t guarantee that they will I can tell you that this disaster won’t stop them from looking for you. Now, will you at least promise me that you’ll keep all of this together until you’re able to be up and about? No one is looking to annoy you, we just care. I’m sure this Hermione and Ron did the same thing- which is probably why you tried ditching them. Just accept the help and move on with it- it’s not going to change anytime soon.” He replied. Rian half snorted, half laughed at that. The smile on his face was rueful as he looked at Shane and then he shook his head.

                   “I don’t have much of a choice now do I?” He asked, a playful note clear in his voice. Shane shrugged.

                 “You always have a choice Rian. I can just choose not to follow your wishes if it contradicts your care.” He reminded him pointedly, before squeezing his hand once more. “Are you tired yet or do you think your up for a game of cards? I think I need to wind down before hitting the sheets.” He offered. Rian’s smile widened.

                 “I only know how to play exploding snap.” He warned. Shane shrugged with a wink.

                 “I guess I’m teaching you how to play poker then.” He replied. There was a glimmer of something in te teen’s eyes as he looked Shane over again. A glimmer that made the older man shift as his body reacted in that completely inappropriate way. At least inappropriate when it involved Jaime’s son who was still 16.

                 “I’ve heard about Strip Poker. Is it anything like that?” The teen asked, an innocent note in  his voice that Shane didn’t believe for a second. He ignored the heat running through his body even as he made note of the flush in Rian’s cheeks. Something tugged at the back of his mind yet again about the correspondence. He felt like there was something he should remember about Jaime, something that was important and would mean something for Rian in the coming days. He couldn’t remember what though so he pushed it out of his thoughts, it would come to him sooner or later. He smirked at the teen and shook his head softly- he wasn’t going to go there.

                 “That’s a version, but not one I’ll be teaching you right now. We’ll use your pistachios as Poker chips for now. I have a deck if you’re ready.” He replied. Rian pouted at his denial, and he ignored the fact that the teen was making a pass at him- or so it seemed. He got enough of that from Rick right now, and with his inappropriate feelings knowing the teen was interested wasn’t something that he needed. The teen sat up and shrugged.

                 “Sure. Maybe if I learn this version you’ll teach me the other.” He shot back with a wicked grin. Shane groaned inwardly at that look. He was in trouble and he knew it. He got up and grabbed his deck of cards as he heard Rian ruffle through his snack stash for the required nuts. As he turned back he saw Rian had made himself comfortable sitting up and had the bag of nuts ready to use. He shook his head before sitting down.

                “I’m getting the feeling that I’m being hustled.” He grumbled, taking the cards out of their pack and shuffling. His only response from Rian was a mischievous giggle and twinkling of his green eyes as Shane shuffled the cards. He sighed and took a breath before dealing them out. In the end he was right. Two hours later and he was putting everything away while Rian munched on his winnings without a care in the world. The teen had massacred him in the game. As he laid down in his bedding Rian made a noise and he looked up.

                 “So…. You’re teaching me strip poker next?” Rian asked, his voice full of mirth. Shane shook his head.

                  “I intend to keep my clothes on thank you very much.” He shot back. “You’re a damned card shark Hadrian Potter, and I’m glad I didn’t fall for your little ploy earlier. I think I’d be very cold by now.” Rian smirked at his response, stretching out in his bed as he looked over at Shane with dark eyes.

                   “I’m sure we could have found some way to warm you up.” He teased. “We are after all in the privacy of our own tent with beds that have blankets.” And even through that statement could have been taking innocently there was no way in hell it was anything but innuendo. For a moment Shane found himself wondering where the hell this had come from, because Rian wasn’t a sexual being, not in his eyes. At his silence Rian giggled, before rolling over and cuddling into his blankets. Shane sighed before turning off the little battery operated lamp that they had been playing cards by. His mind pointed out that even though Rian was being bolder he hadn’t tired out like the day before, and he still had that glow around him. He wished he could remember what he was forgetting about Jaime, but it had been 14 years since his best friend had died and memory faded with time.


	5. The Clock Strikes Midnight

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oh dear. I bet people believe that this little gem was abandoned, what with me avoiding posting this chapter like the plague for so long. I can only blame the unease of posting an explicit M/M scene. I've written many of them, but when it came time to actually posting it I got a little gun shy. *Hides while blushing furiously* I've gotten over that feeling, and in honor of the Part Two of the next chapter of Trying To Make It Right I've decided to prove that this story is still alive and well. I hope it was worth the long wait because erm yeah. 
> 
> That being said this chapter will have SEX in it. I ask you to remember that before reading it any place that you shouldn't- like work or School or things like that. In fact most of this chapter is one big sexual scenario. Yeah, I've warned you all so now I'm going to let you get to the story...

        The answer to his question literally hit Shane in the face in the form of a thrashing 17 year old at midnight on the dot. As he dragged himself out of sleep, he heard Rian moaning, and it definitely wasn’t the good type of moaning. And it wasn’t a nightmare moan, which the thrashing would seem to indicate. It sounded like the teen was in pain. And when he looked at his wrist watch as confirmed the time everything clicked into place, and he felt like a damned idiot for not having prepared for this. He knew from experience what was happening, although his inheritance was nothing like Rian’s. Jaime’s had been horrible, but Jaime hadn’t been abused most of his life.

       The amount of pain a wizard experienced during this part of their inheritance depended on the strength of their magic, and how much damage that their body had endured during the last couple of years of their life. Rian was in for hell tonight. At that thought Shane threw up the strongest silencing spell that he could manage. They didn’t need to draw the whole camp, or worse- walkers to them, but when Rian was at his most vulnerable. As he felt the drain on his magic another thought hit him. This one coming on the back of Rian screaming, not just moaning, and arching his back up. Jaime had another inheritance- a creature one, he didn’t know what it was- most wizards guarded their non-human blood closely and the Potters were no different. He pushed himself into action, ignoring the fatigue, and magical drain he was experiencing and pressed Rian back onto his bed.

      "Shh, Rian. It’s going to be alright. I promise, this will pass baby." He murmured, trying to stay calm, even as he spotted the tears running down Rian’s face. He was in so much pain and Shane didn’t know what to do for him. He shuddered as the first wave of magic swept the tent, swept through him, making it known to the weaker wizard that the teen’s magic was compatible with his own. He fought back against the wave arousal that followed that realization. He had to concentrate on Rian, on getting him through this and not how good that magic felt interacting with his own. Rian started struggling again, and Shane’s grip slipped and with it his balance failed and he fell. When he face landed on Rian’s skin, on his neck the teen stilled, his cry turning into something more guttural, more pleasure orientated, bringing Shane back to Jaime’s inheritance once more.

      Pleasure, there were only a few creature inheritances that evoked that sensation during a wizarding inheritance. While having compatible magic- like they did- would ease the pain of an expanding magical core but it wouldn’t evoke arousal. Creatures of lust- Incubi, Veela, and to an extent Vampires however experienced spikes in arousal when they encountered a compatible person during this time. Another wave passed, making his skin tingle pleasantly, and his cock harden, drawing him out of his thoughts and reminding him on what was happening to and with the teen in his arms. Rian was whimpering, no longer screaming in pain, because Shane hadn’t moved his lips and he could feel that the teen was fully aroused against him. Shane closed his eyes, praying for strength.

      He had to make a decision, and even if it turned out wrong if he could take some of this pain away, make Rian comfortable then it would be worth it. Rian didn’t deserve to hurt like this, not after what the teen had already lived through in his short life. Making the decision before he could talk himself out of it Shane actually kissed the skin beneath his lips and felt the tension start to bleed out of Rian’s body. That cemented that the older man was doing the right thing, at least it did in his mind. He could beat himself up over doing this later, after the inheritance and the pain Rian was experiencing was in the past and just a memory.

      Only Rian didn’t stay lax and sleeping in his arms for long. When the teen’s eyes flickered open and he turned in Shane’s grip looking confused by thier position the older man felt sick to his stomach. Not because of thier position but because of his obvious arousal and the fact that he had kissed Rian while he was asleep. Another wave of magic swept through the tent, reminding Shane that this wasn’t over by a long shot. And maybe he wouldn’t feel like such a rapist in the morning with Rian awake and participating. Slowly he leaned forward and pressed a kiss to the corner of the teen’s lips, testing the waters so to speak. If Rian didn’t want this then he would find another way to help him, but the ball was in the teen’s court now. Jaime’s son looked shocked for just a second, before he smiled, and leaned forward, kissing Shane’s lips fully. That was all the older man needed though.

      Shane groaned, pressing forward and deepening the kiss the younger man had initiated and tasting him. Even though Rick had been pursuing him it had been a while since he had been in this position, knowing it was going to go further yet still and he was going to let it. As Rian whimpered into his mouth, kissing back with a fervor, Shane felt himself hardening more. The teen’s hips tilted forward as they separated to breath and the moan that escaped him seem to echo in the tent. Sweet Jesus, Shane wasn’t going to last long at this rate.

      "Ah, You’re going through your magical maturity and inheritance right now Rian. You were in a hell of a lot of pain before I started touching your skin. I ah, I’m sorry if you don’t want this." Shane gasped out, trying to keep himself in check long enough to explain to the teen what was happening to him. Rian buck his hips in response, grinning as Shane cursed under his breath and fought to hold onto his control.

      "I’m not complaining about this Shane, I did try and get you to play strip poker with me remember?" He murmured, his voice husky and filled with want. Shane groaned, the sound rumbling from deep in his chest. He kissed the younger man again and finally let his hands wander as he let his body settle on Rian’s. The teen gasped into his mouth as the older man’s hands slipped into his loose sleep pants and cupped his bare ass. Shane ground his hips down as he pulled Rian’s up, pressing their erections together. Rian tore his mouth from Shane’s and cursed in reaction, and damn if that wasn’t arousing. Shane kissed his partner’s neck listening to him speak.

     "Still I won’t take this further till I know that ya on board. I can keep touching and I’m sure that will help." the older man assured the teen, fighting with himself even as he spoke. He wanted more, and he could feel the seductive magic urging him to go further. It was almost too much for him to resist. Almost. Rian moaned, arching into him seduction and looking at him with eyes so dark that he could barely tell that they were green.

     "Fucking hell, again with that? Merlin I want more, please Shane." The teen under him begged in a husky voice, stringing his hands through Shane’s hair and tugging as he spoke. To tell the complete truth Shane got lost in the feelings coursing through him for a moment. It was only when Rian tugged on his hard sharply that the world came back into focus and Shane pushed the teen’s only remaining article of clothing down his legs, baring him.

      The older man pulled back far enough to look at the bared body and note that the flush covering Rian’s face and chest extended his whole body- from head to toe. He groaned low in his throat, the distance giving him enough time to feel guilty again. Jaime would have castrated him before ever letting this happen and he knew it.

     "God Rian, I shouldn’t take this as far as I want to. I knew your father, he would have killed me for this." Shane groaned, trying to put some reason back into this encounter even as his body disobeyed him as his hands ran back up the teens legs and squeezed that tempting ass once more. Rian hissed, his eyes narrowing in displeasure a second before he leaned up and bit Shane’s neck in retaliation for his protest. Shane groaned at the sharp pain, wondering if it was really worth protesting if his partner wanted it as much as he did right then.

     "Fuck should. I can assure you that I’m not a blushing virgin and you’re not forcing me into anything. I want this and if you don’t get this show on the road I will be very fucking cross. I know that you knew my dad, were his best friend, but he’s dead and he’s not going to come back just to kill you. The wizarding world was in a complete war, and during war people grow up fast." The teen hissed hotly into his ear. Shane froze, something in that statement told him he wouldn’t like how bad England had gotten. He was going to stop the encounter right then and there to try and talk with Rian, but the teen bit him again when he stopped moving, his hands sliding down and pushing Shane’s boxers off in a smooth motion. The older man cursed as Rian’s hands skimmed back up his legs, before squeezing his ass. The feel of Rian’s hands on his skin undid his resolve and he drew Rian’s head up.

     "We are going to be talking about everything that happened to you in England in the morning. But I should warn you know, if we do this I aint letting ya go. I’m a possessive asshole at times." He warned, his own voice husky as he stared the teen in the eyes. After a moment he kissed Rian hard, letting himself explore the smaller man’s mouth completely as he settled in between slim legs that wrapped around him automatically.

     As their bare cocks pressed together Rian whimpered into his mouth, bucking into the larger man and making them slide together. Shane groaned, moving one hand to the teen’s cleft. It took a moment before he had the courage to lightly circle the teen’s anus, and Rian bit his lip pushing his hips back into his hand, trying to get more contact in the one place that he desired most. Shane smirked into the kiss before pressing firmly, finally giving him what he wanted. He didn’t make it far, given that his finger was dry and there was nothing slick to ease it’s way into him, but it made Rian draw away and keen loudly and gave the older man enough time to reach out with his unoccupied hand and grab the lotion he had been keeping for his solo sessions.

     Rian made an unhappy noise as he removed his finger, and Shane kissed him lightly as he fumbled with the lotion, coating one hand generously. Before the kiss was over he had replaced his finger, and this time when he pressed in it slid in far easier and Rian gasped, bucking back and impaling himself further. Shane groaned at the tight heat, wondering in the back of his mind if he was even going to be able to fit into the smaller male. Rian was like a vice around his finger. The older man took his time, sliding his finger in and out of the teen and giving him time to adjust to the penetration. There was no way in hell that he was going to rush this and hurt Rian.

      His random thought seemed to be confirmed when he convinced himself to press a second finger into the teen. Rian’s hips lifted away from his hand for a moment as he whined deep in his throat. Again Shane almost stopped, worried that he had hurt the teen, but then Rian’s hips moved back down, pressing the older man’s fingers deeper into his body once more. Shane cursed at the feeling of his fingers being clamped down on, Rian was just too damned small for this not to hurt him in some way, but that fact wasn’t stopping the teen at all. Gathering his resolve Shane broke the kiss, and started kissing down the teen’s neck as he slowly stretched him. For the moment the older man’s arousal meant nothing in the face of making sure that he did this properly.

      "Come on baby, stay relaxed for me. You’re so fucking tight and I’m not going to hurt ya. I promise." Shane murmured into Rian’s ear, nibbling on it when he was done speaking. The teen shuddered, whimpering as his hips moved in tandem with the fingers stretching him. The smaller man babbled his agreement, begging for more and Shane took it as a sign to work a third finger into his body. His cock was throbbing now, but as soon as the third finger eased passed the teen’s stretched rim Rian’s head shot back and he cried out. The sound was half pleasured and half discomfort and Shane cursed himself for even thinking of his own needs as he stopped moving his fingers and kissed the taunt neck in front of him, trying to distract the other male from what was happening.

      After a couple moments Rian moaned, and moved his hips, indicating that he was ready once more. Shane was careful when he continued moving his fingers, watching the smaller male’s reactions carefully. He repeated the resolve that he wasn’t going to cause Rian any more pain then he had to, knowing that before this was over he would be causing some. The fact that Rian hadn’t spoken since he’d begun this was worrying him though. He had been so outspoken, now the only thing he was getting was moans and whimpers. It turned out that he didn’t have to be worried though, because after a few more minuted of pumping his fingers in and out of the clenching hole the teen had enough of what he was doing. One of Rian’s hands grabbed Shane’s hair and forced his face up to look him in the eyes, there was a hot, needy look painted over his face.

      "I’m not going to break Shane. Please." He whispered brokenly, his voice husky and cracking. Shane bit his lip to get himself back under control as he almost ended the show early by cumming. He searched Rian’s face for a second, before nodding, leaning down and kissing him softly as he removed his fingers and fumbled with the lotion once again. The cold hitting his cock actually helped him get himself back under control as he slicked himself up. Shane nibbled on the younger man’s kiss swollen lips as he positioned himself, then pushed into him.

      As the head of his cock passed Rian’s entrance Shane felt like his cock was being strangled by the tightness that he felt. He groaned and kept pushing his hips forward and that caused a reaction from his lover. Rian broke the kiss, screeching as the hand in Shane’s hair pulled hard and his other hand clawed at Shane’s back. The teen’s legs surrounded his waist as Shane stopped himself from moving into him further. Shane panted as he tried to let Rian adjust to the invasion, wondering if he should put a stop to this once again. He could feel the teen clenching around him as his body tried to push him out. Rian whimpered, and it sounded like he was in pain so Shane kissed him, feeling like he was an asshole for letting this happen. He was the adult damn it, he should have been able to help Rian without having sex with him.

     "Rian. If this is hurting you too much I’m stopping. You’re so god damn tight baby." He spoke softly against the younger man’s lips. Rian bit his lip sharply, moving his hips and pressing himself down onto Shane’s cock. The older man sighed in half relief and half frustration at the stubborn male in his arms, clamping down at the sudden urge to cum as his cock was further engulf in the smaller man’s tight heat. Even though Rian had made the first move he was still wincing and that wasn’t what Shane wanted. As he pulled out he shifted before pushing back in and as he did he felt his cock brush something deep in the other male. This time when the teen cried out there was barely any discomfort in the sound and that caused Shane to grin smugly as he set a slow pace.

       Shane watched, enraptured, as his lover’s face showed the pleasure he was feeling, barely noticing as his hair was pulled and his back clawed as he moved within the teen. The younger man’s hand suddenly left his hair, grasping as Shane’s ass as he started moving his hips faster, trying to increase the pace Shane was moving. Shane kissed him hard, taking the hint and increasing the speed of his movements, while trying to hold off cumming. He was already overstimulated, and the moan Rian made at the increase in speed wasn’t helping him a bit.

      The heat inside of the tent increased the longer they moved together in the most ancient dance that there was, as did the sound of damp skin slapping against damp skin. Rian whimpers were intoxicating though, and Shane knew that he wasn’t going to last long as he directed his attention to the teen’s neck. The end came suddenly, one moment Rian was begging for him to move fast and then the next he was stiffening and screaming as his inner muscles clamped down on Shane violently. Then a wave of magic swept through the tent and that was all the extra stimulation Shane could handle. When his orgasm hit, it was the most intense thing the older man had ever felt, and then everything went black.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay do I'm posting this before I change my mind. I hope to god I didn't just embarrass myself by actually posting this... Erm Review and tell me how I did? It will put me at ease considering I'm going to be posting a sex scene for Trying To Make It Right soon... and now I'm second guessing myself because if i'm crap at writing these scenes the I don't want to ruin a good story by posting Part two of that chapter.... -.- *Hides again*


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